Resilient shoe heel



RESILIENT SHOE HEEL Original Filed Jan. 20, 1959 INVENTOR. LEONARD HACKATTORNEY RESILIENT SHOE HEEL Leonard Hack, Detroit, Mich., assignor toRipple Sole Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of MichiganOriginal application Jan. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 787,887. Divided and thisapplication Feb. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 8,568

1 Claim. (CI. 36-76) This invention relates to a resilient shoe heel,and

more particularly to such a heel embodying resilient flexing ribs and anS-breasted configuration providing the advantages of delimiting downwardthrust at the highpoint of the arch.

This application is a division of Hack et al. patent application Ser.No. 787,887, filed January 20, 1959, and now pending.

In the instant invention, heels are made of resilient materials such asrubber, flexible plastics, or other suitable compositions well known inthe art. Heels of this type are usually made by the molding process. Theheel comprises a platform portion, which may have a wooden plug orinsert therein, secured to the rearward part of the shoe by an adhesiveor nails or other suitable fastening means, from which depend alongitudinally extending series of parallel transverse rib membershaving their front and rear faces rearwardly and downwardly slanted. Theheel of this invention is provided with an S-breasted configurationproviding substantially improved support in the arch and shank area ofthe shoe.

A separate heel provides simplicity in manufacture and can be used andsecured to shoes without wedges. There is economy in replacement costsover full length soles. A separate heel further permits a stylized shoeconstruction in certain types of shoes.

Reference is made to the drawing annexed hereto forming an integral partof this specification and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a heel embodying the inventivefeatures here disclosed.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the heel shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the heel 50 comprises aplatform portion or body 52 from which depend a longitudinally extendingseries of parallel transverse rib members 54, a rear heel plateau 56 andan 8 curve 58 at the forward end of the heel. This type of heel isgenerally known as a Thomas heel, named after the English orthopaedicsurgeon who first designed a heel having a forward support under thetalo navicular articulation, the highest point of the arch, curving to apoint under the lateral malleolus.

The S-breasted heel here disclosed provides an additional function andeffect beyond that attainable with a regular Thomas heel and beyond thatprovided by a full ribbed sole of the constructions disclosed in HackPatents 2,710,461 and 2,833,057. The forward prolongation of the heel 50is under the high point of the arch. At this point the resilient ribmembers 54 delimit the downward thrust-actually they press upward oneach step as the weight is brought down-and massage the arch of theStates Patent "ice foot. By the S-breasted configuration of the heel 50,the weight can now be, and is, shifted to the outer border of the foot.This function cannot be achieved with a full ribbed sole or a straightregular ribbed heel, because one of the prime assists of the full ribbedsole disclosed in the above patents is to provide traction and supportevenly across the foot from heel to toe.

The curved rib members 54 are integrally formed within the heel platformportion 5'2, by the molding process, and have rearwardly and downwardlyslanting front faces 60 and rear faces 62 preferably conjoined at theirlower extremities by a rounded blended edge 64. The rear faces 62 andfront faces 60 of adjacent rib members are conjoined by a smoothblending radius 66 at the platform portion 52.

The flexibility and resiliency of the above described resilient heel isof course in part a direct result of the use of resilient materials suchas rubber, resilient plastics, and similar compositions. The ribconstruction, in which the rib members yield downwardly and forwardlyunder load, imparting a forward movement to the foot in walking orrunning, is also a feature of the invention.

The economics of the instant heel construction involve savings inmaterial, in the production of heels from molds that are substantiallysmaller and less expensive to produce and maintain, in replacement ofthe heel independently of any other portion of the sole, and in the useof a heel without a wedge. In addition, manufacture of shoes with theseparate heel of this invention provides the benefits of simplicity anda very close relationship to current shoe manufacturing methods andprocesses.

Having described the invention in its simplest terms, it is to beunderstood that the features of construction may be changed and variedin greater or lesser degree without departing from the essence of theinvention defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a ground plane contacting element for a shoe, a heel made ofresilient material having a body secured to said shoe at the rearwardpart thereof and a series of transversely extending, parallel,downwardly and rearwardly inclined rib members projecting from said bodyand spaced longitudinally along said heel, said rib members having frontand rear forwardly inclined faces diverging upwardly from their loweredges and forming a rounded juncture with the body of said heel, wherebywhen said rib members are engaged upon a supporting surface, said ribmembers will flex forwardly under weight and produce a forward movementof said shoe relative to said surface, said heel extending into theshank area of said shoe, said heel having rib members in said shank areaextending partially across said shoe commencing from the inner side edgeof said shoe toward the outer side of said shoe, said latter rib membersprogressively increasing in transverse length from the foremost of saidrib members until said latter rib members achieve full length at theheel portion adjacent said shank area.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,809,405 Ehrendfried June 9, 1931 2,650,438 Whitman Sept. 1, 19532,710,461 Hack June 14, 1955 2,833,057 Hack May 6, 1958

